NHRA at Brainerd – Racer’s gearing up for the Big Show

 

BRAINERD, Minn. – Lucas Oil competitors survived several rounds of eliminations on Saturday to earn their way to the big show on Sunday at the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.  With every sportsman class down to the semifinal round, everyone remaining only needs to turn on two more win lights to earn the national event win.  Semifinal pairings and notes are listed below.

Super Stock –

Division 2 standout Jeff Adkinson will take Brad Haugaard while Jason DeForrest will face Brian Johnson in the semi-finals.

Notables:

Last weeks’ winner at the Brainerd divisional event Chris Chaney saw his recent win streak end in the fourth round to Haugaard when he broke out by -.002.

Two-time 2018 national event champion Michael Mans also made a run at Brainerd but fell in the fourth round on a .-002 break-out to Brian Johnson

Stock –

Reigning event champion Ben Line will have a chance to go back-to-back tomorrow as he will receive a bye run in the semifinals.  Looking to stop him will be Randi Lyn Shipp who has been in multiple finals this year and is consistently making late round appearances.  Shipp will face Steve Scherschligt in round six.

Super Comp –

Multi-time world champion Gary Stinnett headlines the class as the most decorated competitor left in competition.  Stinnett will face Donald Leisdon in the semifinals tomorrow.  While Stinnett has been stellar at the tree, Leisdon has been dead-on the index in three of his four wins.

The other semifinal pairing includes Jordan Pratt and Don Nichols.  Both drivers have been killing the tree and both won super close races in the fourth round so it should be a great race between these two.

Super Gas –

Jeff Crooks who went 9.900 in his fourth round win will take on Chuck Wescott.  Tom Carlson will face Dan Gilgosch in the other semifinal pairing.

Top Dragster –

Division 4 standout Ross Laris will try to extract some revenge on semifinal opponent Daryl Forrest after Forrest beat Laris’s son Holden in round three.  If Forrest can complete the Laris family double, he’ll head to the final round.

Matthew Kreft will face Todd Fleck in the other half of the semifinals.

Top Sportsman –

Michael Freischel has the semifinal bye run tomorrow and will face either J.R. Lobner or Jeff Southerland in the final round.  Lobnar has been on a tear lately winning several events including last weekend’s LODRS at Brainerd.  In the third round, Lobner won a rematch with last week’s final round opponent Royce Freeman, same result, different week.  If Lobner continues his recent pace, he could be holding the world championship trophy at the end of the season.

Other championship contenders fell early as two-time 2018 national event winners Dusty Meyer and Don O’Neal were sent home in the second and first rounds respectively.

Predictions – 

If I were a betting man, I’d put money on Jeff Adkinson, Randi Lyn Shipp, Gary Stinnett, Jeff Crooks, Ross Laris, and J.R. Lobner to pick up wins in their respective classes tomorrow.

Check back tomorrow to for final round results.